Pop Culture Corner

Hello, avid followers of pop. It has been a while since your last enlightenment, so I figured we should start this week with a mystery.It began with a note. “Thrones, 10:30, tonight.” Simple, scribbled in pen and posted outside PG Griffin Cassagne’s door. That night, as the bells of 10:30 tolled, I watched as seniors, uppers and lowers emerged out of their secluded rooms and into the brick labyrinth of Soule Hall. Like obedient livestock, they file into Griffin’s room, their eyes wild and hungry. From outside the room, I could hear excited cheers and screams of horror. What could be happening on a quiet Sunday night such as this? What is this “thrones?” RAL skills in hand, I decided to investigate myself, and delve into the world, the cult, the lifestyle that is “Game of Thrones.”Three such sheep, seniors Derek Zheng, Andreas Robinson and Sid Reddy, attempted to explain their experience to me. Although they were caught up in the throes of a game of FIFA, words were thrown around: dragons, swords, insane, sexy, exciting and “way of life.” PG Griffin Cassagne, who hosts the viewing parties, managed to give me a more articulate description. “In ancient times, there are seven kingdoms, and to begin with, there is only one king. When the king dies, all the different kingdoms fight for the throne.” Ok, that makes sense. Here is where the plot gets crazy. Apparently, there is an heir, the son of the deceased king, but in truth, the son is not truly a son, but the child of an incestuous affair between the queen and her brother. Wild! To make matters worse, the families of the other kingdoms are rebelling, and fight for the crown. For example, one family, the Starks, raises an army to overthrow another family, the Baratheons. Cassagne attempted to fit the complicated plot into words. “Incest, mysterious, controversial, at some points, pretty gruesome. It’s also thrilling—once an episode ends, everyone is upset because they want it to keep going.”So, in my research, I had a pivotal question. Many cult shows, like Mad Men and Breaking Bad, take their viewers to a different era or location. But Game of Thrones takes us all the way back to the Middle Ages. Why is this so attractive to the teens of 2013? Why does the show have such a fan base? “This is the first show since Spartacus that’s kind of not the generic everyday life,” Cassagne noticed. “It’s kind of a change of pace...I was big into Entourage, Arrested Development, so the style was really refreshing.”This refreshing style, filled with plots that even Dean Weatherspoon deemed as “complicated,” features some pretty med(evil) murders. In the most recent episode, a man’s pinky is peeled like a banana. (“I almost threw up,” Cassagne said.) One man is tortured by foot-crushing. Dragons are set loose upon people. And of course, there is the classic “die-by-the-sword” trick, which is used a lot. I learned that we could be promised at least one signature Game of Thrones death per episode.However, there is nudity amongst the dungeons and dragons. Cassagne and sociologist Jack Russ did note it was a little bit raunchy. “I think that also kinda, because we’re teenage kids...one of the characters, Khaleesi, for example, is really attractive,” one noted. The other, thinking of his existence, nodded vigorously. “That and the violence...it definitely catches the teen demographic, especially boys. There are a lot of girls that watch it too though. It must be something that appeals to all teens...” One such girl is senior Hannah Dineen. “It’s very dynamic, and there are a lot of different aspects to it. The way the plots tangle and the variety of characters makes the show very easy to relate to,” she said.The show, which is currently in its third season, is approaching a climax. Khaleesi is preparing for battle, having stocked up men and at least three dragons. Cassagne predicts a major battle is nigh. So the Throne watchers wait. However, the true end is not really that nigh, as the show is based on a series of seven books. The way things have been going, there has been one season per book. There are still many dragons, damsels, deaths and dastardly deeds to come.Cassagne highly recommends starting the series and catching up in order to watch it live every week. “It’s a culture,” he said. It’s something he can watch on Sunday night, then discuss with his friends the day after. Besides, what better way to start your week than with some violence! “It’s consistently exciting,” said Dineen. “It’s not the sort of the thing I thought I would like. I think everyone should give it a shot even if they are hesitant.”Game of Thrones airs on HBO at 9 p.m. on Sundays, and is available online shortly thereafter. For more information, talk to the experts featured in this article. Thanks for their contributions, and thank you for this truly historic entry into the world of Exeter Pop.